Doctors at Max Hospital give new lease of life to woman suffering from sickle cell disease

 

 

 

DOCTORS at Max Hospital, Nagpur gave new lease of life to a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was presented on November 4, 2024 with acute joint pain, anemia, and severe jaundice, while she was at the third trimester of her pregnancy. The patient suffering from sickle cell disease was receiving treatment at another facility from October 26, 2024, where she was given two units of blood at 35 weeks of pregnancy for severe anemia. However, she developed a blood transfusion reaction, experiencing intense back pain and deep yellowness in the eyes and skin. At Max Hospital, she was admitted under the joint care of Dr Sakshi Bansal, Senior Gynecologist and Dr Rahul Arora, Senior Hematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician. Further investigations revealed a positive Direct Coombs Test, indicating the presence of multiple auto-antibodies against red blood cells.

 

This made it extremely difficult to find even a single compatible unit of blood for transfusion. Given her critical condition and the presence of these antibodies, the only viable treatment option was an exchange transfusion, which could be performed only after delivery. Although the patient recovered from the acute disease and also delivered a healthy baby, her postoperative phase was challenging. After delivery she was discharged eight days of post-delivery. She was given broad spectrum antibiotics and micronutrients for recovery.